TORONTO, ON – (December 4, 2018) On the one year anniversary of MeToo, a new national campaign, the first of its kind, will cast a critical eye on the direction of the influential social movement, with radio ads starting today on a major Toronto radio station.

The Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE), a charity integrating boys and men into gender equality, is exploring the problems and the opportunities of MeToo through public service ads and various events.

“Beyond doubt the MeToo movement has catalyzed much needed awareness of the horrible experiences suffered by many women, but in several ways MeToo is missing the mark, and that’s a missed opportunity for everyone,” said Justin Trottier, CAFE Executive Director.

The central messages of CAFE’s campaign:

MeToo means MenToo: Recently the woman who launched MeToo, Tarana Burke, stated explicitly that the movement must do a better job to welcome the thousands of male survivors.

Vigilante justice is not justice. We must reconcile two fundamental goals: respecting alleged victims and respecting alleged perpetrators. No one should be automatically believed. Instead, all evidence must be weighed in a court of law.

There is no place for engaging in the collective shaming of all men, a serious form of identity harassment.

MeToo can lead to genuine sexual equality, if we hold both sexes accountable for intimidating or exploiting behaviour, honour the distinctive contributions of both sexes and promote compassion for both sexes.

The Canadian Association for Equality is committed to achieving equality for all Canadians, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family status, race, ethnicity, creed, age or disability.

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Canadian Association for Equality Statement on Sexual Victimization and the #MeToo Campaign

January 24, 2018

The Canadian Association for Equality wishes to ensure that the conversation around sexual victimization, which has been sparked by claims from women (and some men), leads to justice for all.

We condemn sexual violence unequivocally and recognize that it needs to be discussed. At the same time, we are alarmed that accusing people without supporting evidence amounts to punishing them severely without due process, and undermines the legal system.

It is time to reconcile two fundamental goals: supporting alleged victims and ensuring due process for alleged victimizers (protections that our society has worked hard for centuries to develop and sustain). Here is what we recommend in order to ensure that the #MeToo campaign will lead to real and lasting justice.

We call for a dialogue that requires respect for all voices, rejects vigilante “justice,” and prevents emotional catharsis from overshadowing the measured assessment of fact and opinion.

We suggest that productive discussion crosses the line into unhelpful accusation, when any of the following faulty views are asserted:

3. That men or “privileged groups” have no right to speak about #MeToo.

4. That men as a class are uniquely responsible for creating and sustaining the gender system that produces sexual harassment.

5. That major life penalties (firing, resignation, destruction of reputation) are appropriate punishments for accused men, without due process or the presumption of innocence.

6. That the end (“justice” for women) justifies the means (harming or destroying the lives of innocent men).

7. That the #MeToo campaign belongs to female victims only; if the same experiences of sexual violence or misconduct occurred to men, those male victims would not deserve the same attention.

CAFE’s position is that productive dialogue must always recognize that claims of abuse cannot be equated with the fact of abuse. We unequivocally reject any suggestion that men are collectively guilty or should be collectively punished, which is not justice but revenge. We reject the idea that some or all men should be forced to accept or believe women’s characterization of female experience, without the opportunity to assert their own perceptions and experience. In short, we argue above all that productive dialogue must be founded on the premise of men’s and women’s moral equality.